A review by sookieskipper
The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman

4.0

Hellman is absolutely brilliant in this play. A child plays a mean prank on two of her teachers, and the child's innocence is taken at its face value thus ruining careers of the two women. The dialogues are sharp, and the shifting power is heavy throughout the play. In the first act, the child, Mary is in control. With the lies she spreads and the control she exudes, she makes up the story about her teachers. The child's grandmother persecutes the teachers believing her granddaughter.

The play ends on a bitter note. It doesn't matter if the truth comes to light. Hellman's twist comes in the final act in the most natural way. Its remarkable how boldly she makes her characters confess to things they always hold so close to their chest.